Gurulu or Gurr Yaksha, is an evil and carnivorous giant eagle that feeds on flesh that appears in Sri Lankan Buddhism. It is widely believed that Gurulu is a demonization of the Hindu lesser deity Garuda as Sri Lankan Buddhism and Hinduism have been at odds in the past, which is reflected in Gurulu's Soul Hackers design.
"Origin: Sri Lanka. An evil eagle monster from Sri Lankan lore. It is also known as 'Gurr Yaksha' and is a demonized form of the holy bird Garuda. Hindu gods are thought of as evil spirits and rakshasa in Shri Lanka."
—Shin Megami Tensei A-Mode DDS Dictionary
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne[]
"A demon that takes the shape of a giant bird in Sri Lankan mythology. It is said that it may have been a corruption of Garuda."
—Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne compendium
Gurr can be fused through Sacrificial fusion if said fusion results in a Sparna and if a Tyrant demon is used as the Sacrifice. He can be found commonly in the Tower of Kagutsuchi, but will not respond to recruitment conversation.
Gurr acts as one of the two law field bosses tied to the Invoke system and will appear in Shinagawa once every hour during weeks when the Law alignment dominates the system. After obtaining the rare black eagle ornament he drops, he can be fused by a special double-fusion of Garuda and Rakshasa.
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey[]
"A demon that takes the shape of a giant bird in Sri Lankan lore. It is thought to be a derivation of Garuda."
—Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey compendium
Gurr appears as a recruitable demon in Sector Fornax. A wounded, dying Gurr is seen and spoken to in Jack's Squad HQ.
Shin Megami Tensei DSJ Another Report[]
"According to Sri Lankan Buddhism, Gurr (or Gurulu) is an evil and carnivorous giant eagle that feeds on flesh. It is widely believed that Gurr is a demonization of the Hindu lesser deity Garuda, as Sri Lankan and Buddhism and Hinduism have been at odds in the past."
—Shin Megami Tensei DSJ: Another Report, Demon Trivia
Gurr appears in Chapter 1. It beheads Aaron, before being eaten by the Wendigo.
"A demon that takes the shape of a giant bird in Sri Lankan mythology. Also known as "Gurulu Yaksha." It is believed to be a derivation of Garuda, the spirit bird of Indian mythology, which in in ideological opposition to its place in Sri Lankan mythology, in which it is interpreted as a demon."
—Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance lore
Gurulu is a punishing enemy that is exclusive to the Canon of Vengeance, found in the Shinjuku area of Da'at, within Shinjuku 3rd Block. Gurulu is the target of a subquest issued by a local Senri, titled "The Disgraced Bird God," where said Senri requested the Nahobino in slaying Gurulu. Completing the quest unlocks Gurulu for fusion.
However, in the Canon of Creation, Gurulu is not a locked fusion, and so can be fused at the Nahobino's pleasure or can be found roaming as wild demon encounters in the Taito region, specifically in an area in Asakusa that can only be reached by Magatsu Rail.
Soul Hackers 2[]
"A demon that takes the shape of a giant bird in Sri Lankan mythology. It is rumored to be a derivation of Garuda."
—Soul Hackers 2 demon info
Gurulu is a demon of the Raptor race and can be unlocked for fusion by completing the "Retrieve Needle Crystaloid Gamma" Aion Directive in Milady'sSoul Matrix 3F. Once 8 Needle Crystaloid Gamma have been collected, Ringo will be able to fuse Gurulu at the Cirque du Goumaden upon reaching level 50.
Persona 3 Reload[]
"A demon that takes the shape of a giant bird in Sri Lankan myth. It is thought to be a derivation of Garuda."
—Persona 3 Reload background
Gurulu is a Persona of the Moon Arcana. It is needed as material for the fusion recipe to summon Pale Rider.
Inflicts Phys (Physical) damage with 120 power on a Single Enemy with 40% chance to inflict Poison.
Innate
Speedster
Auto
+50% to own affect on Battle Speed.
Innate
Yaksha Claw
Auto
When an enemy is Poisoned: Inflict Phys (Physical) damage (Power: 35) 3 times on random enemies with 30% chance to inflict Bind to demon(s) that were hit when attack is successful.
Innate
Nihil Claw
6 MP
Inflicts Phys (Physical) damage 2 to 3 times with 75 power on Random Enemy/(ies).
Common
Blight
6 MP
Inflicts Phys (Physical) damage (Power: 100) with 30% crit rate on all enemies with 30% chance to inflict Poison on hit enemies.
Aragami (Awaken)
Deadly Poison
Auto
+30% damage to Poisoned enemies.
Aragami (Gacha)
Binding Claw
5 MP
Inflicts Phys (Physical) damage with 120 power on a Single Enemy with 40% chance to inflict Bind when using this skill.
Protector (Awaken)
Deadly Bondage
Auto
+30% damage to Bound enemies.
Protector (Gacha)
Auto-Sukunda
Auto
Casts Sukunda at the beginning of the 1st turn.
Psychic (Awaken)
Agility Amp II
Auto
+10 to Agility.
Psychic (Gacha)
Repel Force
Auto
Adds Force Repel.
Elementalist (Awaken)
Resist Light
Auto
Adds Light Resist.
Elementalist (Gacha)
Gallery[]
Gurr as he appears in Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne.
Gurr as he appears in Shin Megami Tensei IMAGINE
Gurr as he appears in Persona 3
Gurulu in Persona 3 Reload
Gurr's sprite in Last Bible III
Gurr's sprite in Last Bible Special
Gurr as it appears in Card Summoner
In Other Languages[]
Language
Name
Japanese
グルル (Gururu) グルル・ヤクシャ (Gururu Yakusha)
French
Gurulu
Italian
Gurulu
German
Gurulu
Spanish
Gurulu
Trivia[]
Gurr's 3D model in the PlayStation 2 era differs significantly from his artwork originally from Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers, lacking the exoskeletons around Gurr's body. The new model that first appeared in Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2 is a more faithful rendition of the artwork.
Gurulu's previous name Gurr is not used in any real life accounts that mentions Gurulu's name. This is likely because of the obscurity of the demon which limits the available English sources for the correct translation of the demon. The English spelling of "Gurr" appears in Kaneko's Pandemonium artbook which is likely the source of its English localization.
Eirikr, a myth enthusiast and fan of the Megami Tensei series is generally credited to be the one who influenced Atlus to realize and adopt the correct translation of Gurulu among other similarly less-known demons for his Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne localization notes published on Persona Central.
Japanese
French
Italian
German
Spanish